For the first time this season, the Chinese Baseball League (CBL) has a clear-standing lead with Tianjin Lions (8-1) holding a tiny advantage over defending champions, Beijing Tigers (7-2).

Beijing entered the weekend sitting atop the CBL standing with five wins in six games.

Facing Sichuan, the Tigers rolled out the heavy bats early by grabbing an 8-0 lead in the opening game led by veteran Zhang Wei who contributed two triples while driving home three runs. National team hurler Xu Zhen, featuring his 150kmh fast ball, delivered a steady performance over five innings with six strikeouts in the 8-3 home field triumph.

The 2004 champions treated Dragon pitchers with little regard and closed game two for a Beijing 12-2 victory.

Just as it was thought that Sichuan would be knocked into baseball extinction like their prehistoric namesakes, these Dragons made their own CBL history becoming the first expansion team to secure a victory over a CBL charter member club behind a masterful seven-inning shutout pitching performance by Qing Xueguang. Beijing pushed the contest into extra innings but Sichuan would not be denied on this day tallying a single run in the 10th inning for the 4-3 win and a piece of China baseball lore. The loss dropped by Beijing out of first place one game behind Tianjin.

In the second half of the three double headers played in Beijing over the weekend, the hard-luck China Hopestars faced the resurgent Tianjin. The Hopestars, whose team is made up of young China baseball prospects coupled with several South Korean import players, have been very competitive with little to show for it in the standings.

The opening game of the series was filled with drama. The Hopestars grabbed a 1-0 lead but then Lions began to roar, taking a 2-1 advantage.

The Hopestars bounced right back to tie the score at 2-2 but in the eighth inning Tianjin's Yang Guo combined with Ren Min for a single and double respectively to give the Lions the final run they needed to secure the thrilling 3-2 win.

Tianjin continued their outstanding play throughout the weekend to sweep the final two games of the three-game series, 6-3 and 6-3, to move into sole possession of first place of the CBL standings with eight wins against only a single defeat.

Host Shanghai Eagles, reeling from a slow start with five defeats in six games, squared off against archrivals Guangdong. The Eagles, bounced back in their half of the first led by National Team captain, who also was selected by the Colorado Rockies for special training, Zheng Yufeng. The talented Zheng contributed a run scoring single as part of a two-run game-tying rally. Zheng later provided the highlight of the game with a third inning rarely seen inside-the-park home run on the way to the Eagles 11-2 victory.

On Saturday, Shanghai continued their climb with a 4-2 win before allowing the opportunity to complete a three-game sweep slip through their grasp as the Leopards fought back from an early 4-0 deficit to edge Shanghai 6-5 in the series finale.

This coming week's action will feature Guangdong at Beijing, Shanghai at Hopestars and Sichuan at Tianjin.

(China Daily April 19, 2005)